Friend or Foe?
by SkyGem
Summary: Princess Echizen Ryoma of the sky people hates the landwalkers for taking away her best childhood friend so she decides to go and take him back. What happens when she starts to make friends among them? Full summary inside. Please review
1. Leaving Home

Summary: For centuries now, the sky people have been wary of the landwalkers, the ones they called 'humans,' but, crown princess Echizen Ryoma absolutely detests them. Why? Because they took away her best childhood friend, and she's planning on taking him back. Now, she is finally 15 years old and is allowed to visit the realm of the landwalkers. She starts her search at a normal human high school called Seishun Gakuen and meets lots of new people. During her time with them, she starts to finally consider that maybe the landwalkers are not as awful as she thought, but, will things stay that way? Or will she be betrayed once her guard is down?

SkyGem: Hey guys! Yeah I know, I'm writing too many stories, right? Well, it's because I keep having lot's of ideas! And I almost forgot! Be warned! There will be lots of OOCness! Also, this story won't be about tennis at all, just the relationship between the princess and the 'landwalkers.' Now, on to the story!

P.S. In case any of you are confused, yes, I am the one they once called OrchardLily, I just changed my pen name. So, once again, on to the story!

Disclaimer: No, sadly, I do not own PoT, Konomi Takeshi-sensei does.  
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**Ryoma**

"I'll be going now, papa!"

"Take care, my sweet one! Remember, you mustn't let them know what you are! The landwalkers are a cruel and cunning people and will do anything to get what they want!" called a proud, yet worried, Nanjirou.

"I know that papa! Now, goodbye!" I called as I turned around and jumped off the edge, spreading my wings. This morning, the city in which the palace of my family was situated, was, weirdly enough, much busier than usual. Many kids were already out with their parents, waving and shouting goodbye to me as I passed. I smiled and said goodbye to each and every one of them, finally understanding why there were so many people about. They had come to see me off! I continued on and, by midmorning, the city disappeared altogether. After that, it got a little lonely, but, the quietness was also peaceful in a way. When, around noon, I finally started to get a little tired, I decided to stop by a little pool for a break. I took out my lunch of berries and nuts and drank from the little pool. When I bent over, I was surprised to see how crystal clear the pool was. In it, I could see my reflection almost as if I were looking into a mirror. There was my wild mass of black, emerald-tinted hair, which was at the moment in a long braid down my back; my golden-yellow eyes that at times seemed feline; and my beautiful, white-feathered wings. When I finished my lunch, I took off once again, heading east, towards the landwalkers' town of Tokyo, which was just beyond what was known to the sky people as Mount Bound and to the landwalkers as Mount Takao. The reason I was going to Tokyo was because I had gotten accepted into one their most prestigious schools, the school known as Seishun Gakuen Koto Gakkou.

Over the last few years, I had been studying the ways of the landwalkers thoroughly. And the fruits of my training? I was finally able to properly change my body so that it was almost that of a landwalkers. I was able to change my bones from hollow to solid, and hide my wings properly, and I was able to do it as easily as breathing. The only thing I needed to be careful of was my stomach, because, if anyone were to see my stomach, they would see the tattoos which marked me as one of the people. Through my studying, I had also learned their language, their hobbies, and their culture.

Finally, just as the sun was about to set, I arrived at the house I would be living in during my stay here in the country called Japan. It was the house of Tezuka Ayumi, my mothers older sister. I knocked on the door and it was answered by a pretty, middle-aged lady.

"Oohhh! You're finally here, princess!" she said as soon as she saw me, hugging me and saying how happy she was to see me.

"It's nice to see you too, auntie!" I said. "And I thought I told you not to call me princess!"

"Oh, sweetie, you know I didn't mean it like that, I meant it as a term of affection, not of formality!"

"I know, but still!"

"Okay, sweetie," she said as she released me.

"Hey, Kunimitsu! Come down here and say hi to your cousin!"

At this, a young man came downstairs. He had short brown hair, glasses, and a frown which disappeared as soon as he saw me. "Kuu-chan!" I called, running up to him and hugging him.

He laughed one of his rare laughs and said, "It's good to see you too, Ryo-chan."

After all the greetings were done, I was shown to my room and was left to freshen my self up before dinner.  
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SkyGem: So, what did you guys think of the first chapter? Please review-comment and tell me what you think about it.


	2. Buchou Has A Girlfriend?

SkyGem: Hey guys! Here's the next chapter of Friend or Foe. I hope you like it and don't forget to review!  
_

**Ryoma**

I was having the most beautiful sleep when I was suddenly jarred awake by the new alarm clock in my new room. A little grumpy, I got up and took a shower, then got dressed and went downstairs for breakfast.

"Good morning, sweetie," said my aunt as I came downstairs.

Yawning, I said, "Good morning auntie, good morning Kuu-nii-chan."

"Good morning," said Kunimitsu.

I sat down for breakfast, then headed to school with Kuu-nii driving. When we arrived, he showed me to my classroom then went to his own. As the teacher quieted the class down, I took a deep breath then went in.

Bowing, I said, "Yoroshiku onegaishimasu." Coming out of my bow, I said, "My name is Echizen Ryoma, nice to meet you!"

The class started to murmur and the occasional shouts of, "She's so hot!" could be heard. At time like these, I would blush furiously and get many admiring gazes from the boys and death glares from the girls. Eventually the teacher got the class to quiet down and I took my seat beside a shy girl with long, braided pigtails. As I took my seat, she turned towards me, smiled shyly, and said, "Nice to meet you, Echizen-san, I'm Ryuuzaki Sakuno."

Smiling, I said, "Nice to meet you, Sakuno-chan, but please, just call me Ryoma."

Seeming a bit embarrassed, she said, "Okay then, Ryoma-chan."

I smiled. "That's better."

After that, we turned around and actually listened to the teacher. Classes went by quick, and before I knew it, it was already lunch. As I was trying to decided whether to stay here for lunch or go find Kuu-nii, I heard a low voice from beside me. Turning around, I said, "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

Sakuno just blushed and said, "I was wondering whether you would like to have lunch with me and my friend, Tomoko?"

Surprised, I said, "Are you sure?" At this, she frantically nodded her head and I couldn't help but start to like her. "Sure, I'd love to have lunch with you."

She smiled happily and said, "Then come on! We're having lunch outside, underneath the big sakura tree."

**Tezuka**

As classes finished, I went down to the cafeteria to have lunch with my team. Today, we decided to have lunch outside and, on our way, I just happened to see a trio of freshmen sitting under a sakura tree. As I looked closer, I recognized one of them as Ryoma. I smiled, relieved that she had already made some friends and wouldn't be eating alone. Fujii noticed my smile and followed my faze. When he saw Ryoma, his face became absolutely gleeful.

"Ne, buchou, I didn't know you had a girlfriend, why don't you introduce us?"

I turned and glared daggers at him, saying, "Fujii, say one more thing, and you'll be running 50 laps around the field."

He merely smiled, but kept his mouth shut. The rest of lunch went quietly and soon I was heading back to class.  
_

"Ne, buchou, where are you going?" called Momo.

I turned around and said, "I won't be attending practice today. I have other obligations."

Looking confused, Eiji said, "Other obligations? Like what?"

"He's probably going on a date with his girlfriend."

"Whaaaat!" shouted everyone

"Buchou has a girlfriend?" asked Eiji.

"I **told** you, she's not my girlfriend," I said.

"So there is someone!" shouted Momo.

I was about to burst when, suddenly, I heard, "Kuu-chan!"

I turned around and something small and soft ran into me. When I looked down, I saw that it was Ryoma. "Hey, princess. How was your day?"

**Momo**

I couldn't believe my eyes-or my ears. Tezuka-buchou, who never, ever showed any emotion whatsoever, was **smiling.** "Hey, princess. How was your day?" he asked the cute freshmen who had just run into him.

"Shut up, Kuu-chan. I told you I don't like to be called princess."

As I cringed, waiting for the explosion, it never came. Instead, Tezuka-buchou just laughed and said, "Why not? You are a princess."

As I stared, disbelieving, they continued arguing affectionately. _'She really is his girlfriend!'_

Suddenly, she seemed to notice us and turned and said, "Ne, Kuu-chan? Are these your friends?"

That was when Eiji finally decided to unfreeze himself and attacked her, sweeping her into a big bearhug. "Nice to meet you, ochibi-chan! My name is Eiji Kikumaru!"

As he finally let her go, she said, "Nice to meet you, Eiji-sempai. My name is Echizen Ryoma."

Taking a good look at her, I said, "Wow, who would have ever thought that buchou could get himself such a cute girlfriend."

After I had said this, she looked confused, then, realization seemed to dawn, and she burst out laughing. "Y-you think I'm his g-g-girlfriend?" she stuttered, still laughing.

Confused, I said, "But aren't you?"

Finally calming down, she shook her head and said, "Kuu-chan and I aren't dating. He and I are cousins."

"Cousins?" I repeated, stupefied.

"That's right. His mother is my mother's older sister."

"B-but then why did he call you princess? That's the kind of thing only parents and lovers would call you."

At this, she wrinkled her nose and said, "Oh, that? Everyone back home calls me that. It's a sort of nickname. A very disliked nickname."

'_So that's it,'_ I thought. "But you guys seem pretty close for cousin's," I said, a bit curious.

She smiled at this and said, "Well, you see, since Kuu-nii-chan doesn't have any brothers or sisters, we grew up as siblings, he's like a big brother to me."

"I see….oh, I almost forgot. My name is Momoshiro Takeshi, by the way."

She smiled and said, "Nice to meet you, Momoshiro-sempai."

At that moment, I felt the blood rush to my face and my heart started to thump like crazy. _'Oh, geez.'_ I thought. _'I'm starting to fall for my buchou's younger cousin. He's gonna kill me.'  
__

SkyGem: Well, that's the end of this chapter. Poor Momo-chan, Tezuka really is going to kill him when he finds out, at least, I think he is, who knows, maybe he won't. Anyways, please comment and tell me what you thought about this chapter. Also, don't worry, you'll learn a bit more about Ryoma's past in the next chapter, which will be up next week at the latest.


	3. Syuu chan

**Ryoma**

I smiled at the one named Momoshiro, and said, "Nice to meet you, Momoshiro-sempai," not noticing the slight tinge of pink in his cheeks.

Then I turned to the others as they started introducing themselves.

"Fssssshhh, Kaido Kaoru," said a scary looking sempai wearing a bandana.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Oishi Shuichiro," continued a black haired sempai, with a motherly look on his face.

"Kawamura Takashi," introduced a sempai with short, light brown hair.

"Inui Sadaharu," said another sempai shortly, looking up from his green notebook for just a second.

Then I turned to look at the remaining sempai, and was surprised to see a familiar face. Standing in front of me, was a young man, about Kuu-nii-chan's age, with about shoulder length, silky light brown hair, and eyes shut in a smile I knew all too well.

"I'm Fuji Syuusuke, a pleasure to meet you." But before he had even gotten the entire sentence out, into my mind came a memory…

_Flashback_

"_Ryo-chan!" I heard someone call from behind me._

_Turning around, I saw a young, very pretty, young boy come up to me. Once he had arrived in front of me, he brought his hands out from behind his back, and I saw him holding a ring of flowers._

_Giggling, he said, "A pretty crown for the pretty princess."_

_I giggled back, and stood on my tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek. "Thank you, Syuu-chan."_

_At this, his face took on a pretty, pink tinge._

_I sighed, and he looked up, confused. "Is there something wrong? Princess?"_

_I nodded. "It's just not fair, Syuu-chan is cuter than me, even though he's a guy."_

_He blinked, then blinked again. After a few seconds, his face broke into a dazzling smile, and he giggled again. "Don't say things like that, princess. Because I'm sure that one day, Ryo-chan will be the most beautiful girl in the whole wide world!"_

_End Flashback_

Dazed, I looked at Kuu-chan with a questioning gaze. He just nodded, and said, "Later."

I turned back to Fuji-sempai, and said, "It's nice to meet you, Fuji-sempai." Then, after a moment of hesitation, I asked, "Would you mind if I called you Syuu-chan?"

**Fuji**

"Would you mind if I called you Syuu-chan?"

Hearing this, I froze for a second. Why did that sound so familiar? Then I looked down at the young girl, a hopeful look plastered onto her face.

I didn't have the heart to disagree, so I just smiled my signature smile, and said, "Of course you can, Ryo-chan."

I froze again at this. I hadn't meant to say that, it had just slipped out by mistake, and though I did not remember saying it ever before in my life, it sounded so natural on my tongue.

I opened my mouth, about to apologize for what I had just said, when I saw her face. She had on such a beautifully happy smile, that I couldn't get the words out.

Then, turning away from me, she said, "Ne, Kuu-nii-chan, let's go now. You promised to show me around town."

I was sad that she would be leaving, but kept my mouth shut.

"Nya! Buchou! I want to go! Can we go too? Pretty please?" I heard Eiji shout from beside me in a cheerful voice.

I looked over at Ryoma, but she just had an uncomfortable expression on her face. Tezuka must have seen it too, because he said, "You all have tennis practice. Now get going! All of you!"

A bit upset at not being able to talk to Ryoma more, I turned and left, a grumbling Eiji and an uncharacteristically quiet Momo following. The others also came, and we all set up practice games among ourselves, but I kept missing the ball, as I couldn't keep my head in the game due to thoughts of a certain amber eyed girl.

**Tezuka**

As soon as we were in the car, Ryoma started quizzing me about Fuji.

"What happened to him, Kuu-nii? He didn't even seem to recognize me!"

Sighing, I began to explain…

_Flashback_

"_Aww, cheer up, Syuusuke, you'll see her soon enough," I told the young boy._

"_Yeah…" he replied glumly._

"_Come on," I said, pulling him up from the ground, and away from the water. We were in a forest not too far from my home, sitting by a river that ran the whole length of the woods. I was a getting a little jumpy due to the pace of the water rushing past, and was eager to get away. Then, feeling something poke into my back, I squealed in shock, accidentally tripping, and falling on top of the other young boy._

_Together, we tumbled into the rushing waters, and were swept away by the current. Tumbling head over toe, we were swept long and for, and halfway through, my wings were torn free by the rushing waters, and I opened my mouth to scream in pain. Water rushed in, and filled my lungs, and in that moment, my vision started to darken, and my consciousness slowly began to ebb._

_When next I opened my eyes, I was lying on my stomach, in a hospital room. I tried to get up, but I felt a sudden piercing pain in one of my wings, and looked back. They were both bandaged heavily, and the feathers were torn and dirty. I whimpered, scared. At that moment, a doctor walked into the room, and saw that I was awake. Immediately, she came over, and said, "Don't worry child. You'll be fine, no need to worry."_

_I edged away from her, thinking her to be a 'human.'_

_Understanding, she pulled up the hem of her shirt, and there, just above her hip, I saw the tattoo, and relaxed. "Don't worry, young man, you'll be absolutely fine. You were lucky to get out with only scrapes and scratches, and there's no need to worry about your wings, they'll be fine in a few weeks."_

_I let out a relieved sigh, then suddenly remembered something. "Where's Syuu-chan?" I asked worriedly._

_She looked at me sadly, and I said, "No! You mean he's...?"_

_"Oh! No, no, no! He's very much alive." And that one sentence made me happier than I thought possible, until she continued. "But, he's very badly injured, and..."_

"_And?" I asked inquiringly._

_She paused, then said, "His tattoo's gone."_

_At first, I didn't know what that meant, then, it struck me. If his tattoo was gone, then that meant that he had lost his wings! And the only way that that could happen was to lose his memory._

"_No!" I cried, breaking down, feeling an immeasurable guilt._

_End Flashback_

As I finished my story, there was complete silence. I looked over, and saw tears streaming down Ryoma's face.

"I'm sorry…" I said, not knowing what else to do.  
_

SkyGem: So, did you guys like this chapter? Please review, and tell me what you thought! And, I am sooo sorry this chapter took so long, I've been busy. Anyways, until next time, sayonara! ^_^


	4. Another Skydancer?

**Ryoma**

"I'm sorry…"

I looked over at my older cousin. He was just as much an older brother to me than Ryoga was and I didn't like seeing him so upset.

"Why are you apologizing? It's not your fault," I said, attempting a smile.

He opened his mouth to say something, then closed it again without uttering a sound.

"We'll just start our relationship from scratch. Anyways, it's not like his memories are going to be missing forever, we just have to help him until he finds them again."

He smiled, and ruffled my hair. "That's my tough little cousin. Now, why don't we get something to eat?"

"Yay! I'm starved!"

* * *

**Kaido**

As I was walking home from tennis, I couldn't keep Tezuka-buchou's younger cousin, Ryoma, out of my mind. It's not that I liked her or anything, she just seemed…familiar to me, though I couldn't figure out why.

"Are you okay, Kaoru?" asked my mother while we were eating dinner. "You seem distracted."

I shook my head.

She seemed a bit worried, but dropped it. "So, how was your day?"

I shrugged. "The usual," I replied boredly, then added, "Buchou introduced his younger cousin to us." I didn't know why I had brought even brought it up; I just couldn't get her off my mind.

Done eating, I got up, and excused myself.

"I'm going for a 'walk'." I announced.

* * *

**Ryoma**

I was sitting out on the small balcony outside my bedroom, watching the sky longingly when suddenly; a small shape flitted past above.

Taking a closer look, I realized that it wasn't a small shape at all; rather it was a petite human shape with wings. I say petite, but even in that form, he was taller than the me right now. Excited, I dropped my human appearance, and unfolded my wings, launching myself into the heavens to meet the mysterious flyer. By the time I caught up to him, we were pretty high up, almost to the clouds, and the lights of the city were far below. The moon in the sky was the slightest sliver and so our faces were all but invisible. All I could tell was that he had longish black hair (all our people did) and that he was fairly muscular, considering.

As a gentle breeze blew around us, we danced around and around each other in the night. It had been quite a while since I had performed these intricate flight patterns, but I was having the time of my life. As we neared the end of our dance, I reluctantly backed away a bit, performing a midair curtsy. He returned with a bow, and I waved back once before diving down.

Walking into my room, I saw Kuu-nii waiting there for me.

"Ryoma!" he called as soon as I walked in. "Where were you? I was so worried!"

"Ne, did you know there was another family living here?"

"What?" he asked, sounding confused.

"Another family," I repeated. "I just met this one guy outside. We danced together for a little while."

He looked surprised. "Really now? How old was he? Could you see where his tattoo was?"

"He looked about my age, and it was too dark to see much, but I think it was on his right temple."

He looked thoughtful for a moment, then looked at me with a raised eyebrow. "Could he have been a year older than you?"

I nodded. "Maybe. Why?"

"And you said it was on his right temple?"

I nodded again and repeated, "Why?"

"I have someone in mind, but I'm not entirely sure. I'll find out tomorrow. You just go to sleep now, okay?" he said, ruffling my hair affectionately.

"Goodnight, Kuu-nii."

* * *

**Kaido**

"Otou-san?" I asked.

Looking up from the television, he said, "Yes?"

"I was wondering, do you know anyone with long black, green-tinted hair and pure white wings?"

He looked at me as if I had lost my mind. "Of course. The person you're describing is none other than the crown princess, Ryoma-sama. You know that."

I nodded. "Just making sure."

He looked at me suspiciously. "Why? Did something happen?"

I shook my head. "Nothing at all. Anyways, I'm going to sleep now. Good night."

Still a little suspicious, he said, "Good night," and returned his eyes to the television.

* * *

The next morning, I was at practise, and had just taken a break to get a drink when I saw Ryoma come around the corner. I looked up at her, and said, "Ohayo, Echizen-san."

She just kept staring at me. Or more specifically at my forehead. Putting my head up, I realized that my hair was swept off to the side, leaving my tattoo uncovered.

She pointed at it, saying, "Y-you're a…"

Quickly sweeping my hair back over my forehead to hide my tattoo, I tied my bandanna around my head and turned to glare at her. "Don't you dare tell anyone."

She was quiet for a moment, then burst out laughing.

I glared at her, furious. "What are you laughing at?"

She made a considerable effort to stop laughing, and said, "I-I'm sorry, it's just that y-you looked so nervous!"

At that moment, something in my mind just clicked into place, and I suddenly realized why she had looked so familiar. Her blackish-green hair and amber eyes.

Dropping to my knees, I bowed my head, and said, "Your highness."

* * *

SkyeSyren: I'm sorry, it was kinda short, but please review, and tell me what you thought! And until next time, ciao!


	5. Ryo nee?

**Kaido**

"Your highness…" I said, looking down.

"Aww, you're no fun," I heard her say, and looked up in confusion.

"Excuse me?" I asked.

She pouted. "I said you're no fun. Don't call me your highness."

"But why not?" I asked, confused.

"Because! It's weird! Just treat me like you would any other kouhai."

"I couldn't do that, your highness," I said, shaking my head.

"Please?" she pleaded. "If you treat me differently from everyone else, people will get suspicious, and my cover will be blown! If you don't want to call me Ryoma, at least just call me Princess, like Kuu-nii does. Just absolutely don't call me Your Highness."

Hesitating slightly, I finally said, "Hai, Princess. I'll treat you normally."

Throwing her arms around me in a friendly hug, she shouted, "Arigatou, Kaido-sempai!"

"My pleasure, y-I mean Princess."

* * *

**Tezuka**

"Kuu-nii!" I heard Ryoma shout from behind me.

Turning around, I saw her running up with Kaido in tow. The normally grouchy second-year was acting rather…obedient.

"What's up, Princess?" I asked curiously.

"You'll never guess what I just found out!"

"What did you find out?"

"Kaido-sempai has a tattoo on his forehead!"

"What?" I asked, looking over at him.

He didn't say anything.

"Where are you from?" I asked.

"Well, I was born in the Rocky Mountains," he said.

"Oh?" I said, raising my eyebrow. "What are you doing so far from home?"

"My parents decided to move into a landwalker neighbourhood, and my father got a job. A few years ago, he was transferred here because of work."

"I see," I said thoughtfully.

"What?" interjected Ryoma. "But don't you ever get homesick?"

He smiled sadly. "I do sometimes. I was surprised to see you the other night because I didn't know there was a family around here. It was enjoyable dancing with you."

"Ne, Kaido-sempai, if you liked it so much, then why don't you come to my birthday party in December? There's going to be dancing and good food and everything! It'll be lots of fun!"

"Oh, I couldn't," he said.

"Sure you could! We're friends, ne?"

"Well yes, but…" he said, seeming uncomfortable.

"Then it's settled! Or do I have to come over after school and talk to your parents?"

Kaido seemed alarmed at this, and I laughed. "You don't have to be so formal with her. She's just like any other girl."

At this, he blushed, as if suddenly realising that she was a girl.

"H-hai!" he said. "I'd love to come to your party, then, Princess."

Suddenly, the bell signalling the beginning of class rang and Kaido made his escape.

* * *

**Fuji**

I had just gotten out of Math and was heading to the cafeteria when I caught sight of Tezuka-buchou walking with Ryoma-chan and Kaido. Speeding up a little to catch up to them, I called, "Buchou!"

The three of them turned around, and Ryoma-chan smiled.

"Hey Syuu-chan!" she called.

Immediately, a blush rose in my cheeks and I tried my best to push it down. "Hey, Ryo-chan. Mind if I sit with you guys today?"

Her smile then was blinding as she said, "Of course!" Turning to Kaido, she said, "You don't mind, do you sempai?"

He shook his head. "Not at all, Princess."

Jealousy flared up inside of me. Since when did Kaido call her Princess?

"Are you coming, Syuu-chan?" she asked.

"Ah, hai!" I replied. At least she still just called him sempai.

The rest of lunch was pretty normal. We talked about lots of random stuff, and partway through, Ryoma said something odd.

"Ne, Syuu-chan, where were you born?"

For some reason, I didn't know the answer to that. I knew I hadn't been born here. My family had moved here when I was 10. Any earlier than that, I couldn't remember.

"I don't know," I said.

"You don't know?" she asked curiously.

I shrugged. "I can't remember anything before my 10th birthday."

"Really? That's too bad…" she said, seeming preoccupied. "Anyways, how's Yuu-chan been doing lately?"

I was surprised. "You know my brother?"

She looked panicked. "Uh, yeah, I met him a few days ago while I was out shopping, then Kuu-nii told me he was your brother."

"A-ah," I said. "He's been doing good, I guess. Would you like to come over some time?"

"Really?" she said, seeming excited. "I'd love to! Would you mind if I came tonight?"

"Not at all," I said.

"Yay!"

* * *

**Yuuta**

"Tadaima!" I heard my older brother call from the foyer.

Then, a female voice saying, "Ojamashimasu!"

Curious, I went out to see who it was, and got the shock of my life.

"Ryo-nee?" I asked, shocked.

"Yuu-chan!" she squealed happily, throwing her arms around me.

* * *

SkyeSyren: Gomen, this chapter is kinda short, but please review and tell me what you thought anyway, and I'll try to update as soon as possible!


	6. Attack On The Palace

**Yuuta**

"Yuu-chan!"

"R-Ryo-nee! L-let go! I-I can't breathe!"

Immediately, she let go, giggling. "Gomen, Yuu-chan. I just really, really missed you!"

"W-what are you doing here?" I asked.

"Nani?" she asked, pouting. "You don't want me here?"

"What?" I asked. "N-no! That's not what I meant!"

She laughed. "I know. And to answer your question, I'm here 'cause Syuu-chan invited me!"

"Syuu-chan?" I asked, suddenly looking over at my older brother, who looked incredibly confused.

"Ryo-chan?" he said, and suddenly, I felt hope. Had he remembered? "What do you mean that you miss him? I thought you said you met him a few days ago?"

My hope sank.

"W-well yeah," said Ryoma. "But we became such good friends, so I missed him!"

Jumping to her rescue, I said, "Yeah, Ryo-nee and I are really good friends now. Why didn't you tell me that you knew her?"

"Well, I didn't know that you knew her," he said, still looking a bit confused.

"But, hey, aren't you older than her? Why do you call her nee-chan?"

I didn't reply because my mind was suddenly flooded with memories…

_Flashback_

"_Syuu-chan!" I heard someone call. My brother and I both turned and I saw a very pretty girl running up to us. She had long black hair that shone green in the sun. Her pretty amber eyes were almost feline, and her cheeks were a rosy pink._

"_Hey Ryo-chan!" Syuusuke said._

_My eyes widened. Did he just say Ryo-chan? Then…she was the princess!_

_Throwing her arms around my older brother, she said, "Let's play!"_

_He smiled and said, "Sure." Then, looking over at me, he asked, "Would it be okay with you if Hime-chan joined us?"_

_I nodded._

_Looking over at me, she smiled in a friendly way and said, "Hi! Nice to meet you! I'm Echizen Ryoma."_

_Smiling back, I said, "Nice to meet you, Princess, I'm Fuji Yuuta."_

_Her eyes widened cutely and she said, "Nani? You're Syuu-chan's otouto?"_

_I nodded._

_Coming over to me, she hugged me too, saying, "Yuu-nii-chan!"_

_I blushed and pulled away, saying, "W-why are you calling me nii-chan?"_

_She laughed. "Because! When I grow up, I'm going to marry Syuu-chan! So Yuu-chan is going to be my nii-chan!"_

"_Really?" I asked. "But if you're going to marry my nii-chan, so doesn't that make you my nee-chan?"_

"_But you're older than me!" she said._

"_But if I were your nii-chan, that would mean I'm superior to you, which would be impossible! So you're my nee-chan!"_

_She was quiet for a moment, then said, "Okay!"_

_End Flashback_

Thinking back on it, I couldn't help but laugh. Our (my) reasoning had been so childish, but as we got older, it was too much of a hassle to get out of the habit.

"It's a long story," I said.

Ryoma blushed and said, "You still remember that?"

I smirked. "Of course I do, onee-sama."

* * *

**Fuji**

"Of course I do, onee-sama."

I looked at Ryoma's blushing face and suddenly, jealousy flared up inside me. Hearing them talk about stuff I didn't know annoyed me to no end.

"Ne, are your parents here?" she asked us.

I shook my head. "They're at work. Okaa-san's usually home by about six and otou-san's usually home by seven."

"Cool!" she said. "Let's go upstairs, ne?"

"Uh, hai," I said.

* * *

**Yuuta**

When my mother came home, Syuusuke, Ryoma, and I were up in my bedroom, playing video games.

Getting up from my seat on the bed, I headed downstairs to greet my mother.

"Hey, okaa-san," I said, giving her a kiss on the cheek. Then, I noticed how worried she looked. "Okaa-san?" I asked. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, Yuuta, it's terrible!" she said, looking at me with worried eyes. "I've just got word that the king's palace has been attacked!"

"What!" I exclaimed. "By who?"

"I don't know!" she said worriedly. "Oh, I do so hope no one got hurt! I know the King and Queen can defend themselves, and Ryoga's strong too, but whatever shall I do if something happens to Ryoma-chan?"

"Umm, okaa-san," I began. "I don't think Ryo-nee's safety is a problem."

My mother looked at me confusedly. "What do you mean?"

"Well..." I began and turned to look at Ryoma standing at the top of the stairs.

"Princess?" came my mothers shocked voice.

Ryoma didn't answer right away.

"A-auntie," she finally stuttered out. "D-did you just say the palace is being attacked?" She looked absolutely terrified. "I-I must return at once!"

"No!" shouted my mother, going up to Ryoma and wrapping her in a fiercely protective hug. "Don't you dare say that, your Highness. You must not risk your life! You have to stay in hiding!"

"But auntie!" shouted Ryoma, starting to cry. "I-I can't just turn my back on my people! I'm their princess! I have to do something!"

* * *

**Ryoma**

As auntie let go of me, she gently put both hands on either side of my face and looked at me gravely.

"Now you listen here, princess," she began. "I know that you want to help your people, but the best way you can help them is by staying safe. I mean, what would happen if you were to get hurt? You are well beloved and were you to get injured; everyone would be far more upset than they are now.

I stayed quiet, not able to argue. What she said was true. As tears blurred my vision, I leaned in to hug her. "Auntie, I'm worried."

"Hush now, princess, all will be fine."

And I believed her.

"What is going on here?" came a new voice and I turned to see Syuusuke standing at the top of the flight of stairs.

* * *

DemonicEmbrace: Ugh, I'm so glad I've always got at least one other chapter written before I update something. For me, today was just one of those really lazy days when I really didn't feel like writing at all. I've been reading manga all day, so it's a good thing I got this written yesterday, or I wouldn't have updated at all, lol. Anyways, please review and tell me what you thought. Anyways, back to reading Bakuman! Ja ne!


	7. Disappointment

**Fuji**

I stared at Ryoma, Yuuta, and my mother.

"What is going on here?" I asked again when no one answered my question. "What's all this talk about kings and queens and palaces being attacked?"

I had no idea what was going on, but what mattered the most at this moment was that, for one reason or another, Ryoma looked as if she were about to start crying.

My mom looked at me with wide eyes, as if she had forgotten that I would be here.

She seemed a bit confused about whether or not to tell me the truth, then her expression changed and I knew she had made her decision.

Letting go of Ryoma, she said to my brother, "Yuuta, take her Highness back to her lodgins, and tell them of what has happened. It is time to tell Syuusuke."

I saw Yuuta's eyes widen, and thought that he was going to protest, but instead he just nodded once, and said, "Come on, Ryo-nee, let's leave."

The two of them disappeared out the front door and my mother sat me on the couch a began telling me an unbelievable tale. A tale about how our family were actually of the sky people they taught us about in school. She told me that when I was young, I had lost my memory and along with it my wings. She told me of how Ryoma was the crown princess, and how Yuuta and I were childhood friends of hers. And finally, she told me of the band of (human) terrorists leading an attack on the royal family's palace.

By the time she was done, my head was spinning with all the new information I had yet to absorb. "W-why didn't you tell me any of this sooner?" I asked, not quite sure if I believed her or not.

My mother just looked at me sadly. "Because, the doctor suggested we let you remember it all on your own…"

I was suddenly mad. "And you think that's okay? You've kept such a big part of my life a secret from me! How do you think that makes me feel?" I shouted. Then, without waiting for an answer, I turned on my heels and headed towards my bedroom.

* * *

**Ryoma**

The next day, I ate lunch with Kuu-nii and the rest of the regulars. When my aunt had found out what had happened last night, it was decided that I had to have someone with me at all times, in case I was either attacked, or decided that I wanted to try and "get myself killed."

Things were pretty awkward because the whole time, Syuu-chan was so upset he had his eyes open the whole time, and this scared the hell out of everyone.

Suddenly, about halfway through lunch, there was a commotion outside and we all went to look.

There was a huge group of people, standing in a circle around something. I couldn't see much, but then, I heard the words "winged scum," and my eyes widened. Pushing my way forward, I got to the center of the crowd and saw two freshmen girls huddled together, looking scared. Then, I saw that one of them had a tattoo on her arm, which was susually covered by her sleeves, and the other had one on the back of her calf, usually hidden by her socks. I heard the slight rustling of feathers and immediately realized what was going on.

I suddenly felt sick to my stomach. These two poor girls were being bullied for being of the sky people. I was about to help them out, but then, one of them looked up, and I was frozen to my spot.

She was Tomoka, and the other, I assumed, was Sakuno.

When she saw my espression, Tomoka looked heartbreakingly sad. "R-Ryoma-chan! W-we're sorry for not telling you anything! It's just that, you were so kind, and we so badly wanted to be friends with you! I promise, we weren't trying to hid anything from you!"

* * *

**Tomo**

I pleaded with Ryoma, hoping that she would not be so harsh as the others. I was well aware that the group of students were still there, still throwing insults at Sakuno and I, but the only one of them that mattered right now was Ryoma. If Ryoma would forgive us, nothing else would matter.

Suddenly, her expression hardened and I was afraid that she was the same as the others.

Pulling away from the crowd, she came up to us, and put her hand on my arm, urging me to stand straight, then did the same with Sakuno. Kaido-sempai and Tezuka-sempai had followed her and formed a type of shield around us.

Turning to the crowd, she shouted, "Enough!"

Immediately, everything was deathly silent. Everyone could hear the authority in her voice. This was someone who was used to being obeyed.

"What the hell is wrong with you all?" she asked. "What the hell makes you think it's okay to bully these two just because of who they are?"

I stared in awe as she continued.

"Does having wings make someone so much different? Like hell it does! That just means that they're unique!"

Someone in the crowd snorted and said, "Unique? You mean freakish."

Turning towards the person that had said it, she singled them out. "Why does it make them freakish?"

"Because normal humans don't have wings."

"Oh?" said Ryoma. "And what if I were to turn that around and say that normal sky dancers do have wings."

The person had nothing to say to that. Then, Ryoma turned to look at the rest of the regulars that had not followed.

"And you guys!" she said. "Don't you have anything to say?"

They all just looked away, shifting their feet.

Ryoma looked at them in disgust. "I am utterly disappointed in all of you. Especially you, Syuusuke."

The crowd was still quiet as Ryoma turned back to us. "Kunimitsu, Kaoru, we're leaving."

Tezuka-sempai looked unsure of what to do. In the end, though, he sighed, nodded, then said, "As you wish, you're Highness."

My eyes widened and I looked back at Ryoma as I heard the faint rustling of feathered wings. She smiled down at me and I was left breathless. This person in front of me was, in fact, her Highness, the crown princess Echizen Ryoma.

* * *

DemonicEmbrace: Well, that's it for now. Yeah, I'm sorry, it was a boring chapter, but please review and tell me what you thought, hm?


	8. Pending Attack

**Ryoma**

As the five of us left the scene, Kuu-chan said, "Princess, where exactly are we going?"

I looked at him, then smiled slightly, saying, "To the principal's office."

He blinked, clearly confused. "Why the principal's office?"

I smirked. "You'll see."

After that, he was quiet. When we finally got to the office, instead of waiting for the secretary to let us through, we just barged into the principal's office. When he saw us, he looked confused.

"What are you students doing here?" he asked.

Going up to his desk, I said, "Kouchou-sensei, I demand you do something about the bullying of sky people going on in this school."

"Excuse me?" he said, seeming confused.

Getting angry, I raised my voice. "Don't act dumb! Just now, these two girls" –I gestured towards Sakuno and Tomo– "were being bullied because the other students found out who they were! Do something about it!"

The principal sat back, furrowing his brows. "I do not appreciate the tone in which you are talking to me, young lady."

Slamming my fist onto the desk, I said, "Quit talking about such trivial matters!"

"And if I were to say that I can't do anything about it?" he said, obviously trying to get back at me for not being 'respectful'.

"Then I and the rest of the sky people enrolled at this school will leave!"

He laughed. "And what makes you think that they will follow you?"

I smirked. "I'm the crown princess. Why wouldn't they follow me?"

His eyes widened and the blood drained from his face. "Y-you're-?"

I nodded, a satisfied smirk on my face. Immediately, he began apologizing. "I am very sorry, your highness."

I crossed my arms. "I don't care about that. Just do something about the bullying!"

"A-ah, right away, your highness."

* * *

**Syuusuke**

"Attention students, attention students," the principal's voice came from over the intercom. "Lately, I have been getting many complaints about bullying going on in our school. If ever I hear about a student being bullied, no matter who they are, the perpetrator(s) shall be faced with harsh punishments…" he continued on and, although he didn't say it straight out, everyone knew what he was talking about.

Just as he finished the announcement, I heard a noise and looked up to see what looked to be a large bird falling from the sky. As it fell, my eyes suddenly widened as I realized that it wasn't a bird, but a child with wings.

Running forward, I caught him in my arms. He had wounds all over his body and his clothes were soaked in blood.

His eyes suddenly fluttered open and, when he saw me, he seemed panicked. He began struggling, trying to get away.

"Calm down," I said calmly, trying to soothe him. "I'm the same as you."

He stopped struggling for a moment, but still seemed scared.

I smiled down at him, trying to reassure him, while thinking frantically how I could prove to him who I was.

Suddenly, I had an idea, the tattoo! If I showed him the tattoo, he would definitely believe me, but there was one problem, I still hadn't regained my memories.

As I stood there, looking down at the child in my arms, something about him seemed so familiar, and, at that moment, it was as if an invisible dam was taken away, and all my memories came flooding back to me.

Suddenly, I knew why the kid looked so familiar. "Atobe!" I said.

When he heard this, the expression on the kids face turned to confusion. "Nani?" he asked quietly.

"You're from the Atobe family, aren't you? I'm Fuji Syuusuke, I used to be friends with your older brother! See?" I said, holding up the palm of my hand to show him my tattoo, which had mysteriously reappeared.

Immediately, he relaxed into my arms, seeming reassured, but then, seeming to remember something, he tensed up again.

"Onii-san! We've got to hurry!" he said to me urgently.

"What's wrong?"

"T-the people that attacked the palace! They're on their way here!"

"Nani?" I asked.

"They're coming for the princess! She has to hurry and escape!"

"I-" I began, but was interrupted.

"Who's going to escape?" came a voice from behind me and I whipped around to see Ryoma standing there.

I knitted my brows together and gently set the young Atobe on the floor. "You are, of course," I said.

Ryoma just snorted gracelessly. "Like hell I am! These are the people that attacked my family! I'm not going to just turn tail and run."

Stepping towards her, my brows still furrowed, I said, "Ryoma, you-"

Again I was interrupted by her. "I don't want to hear anything from you, Syuusuke. I'm not leaving."

I would have argued further, but she was wearing a familiar expression on her face, an expression that said nothing could change her mind.

Sighing, I bowed my head. "Fine, but at least let me help you, ne?" I said, looking up at her with a sheepish smile on my face. "As apology for the cowardice I showed earlier."

She seemed to notice the change in me, because she smiled widely and nodded, saying, "Hai!"

"Hey, hey, what are you trying to do, hog all the glory for yourself? Let us help too!" came a voice from behind and I turned to see Tomoka standing there with more than a hundred other students (including Sakuno, Tezuka, and Kaido) backing her up. I noticed that quite a few of them had sleeves rolled up or hair pushed back to reveal tattoos.

I was so surprised, I couldn't say anything.

Smirking, Tomoka said, "Come on guys, don't look so surprised, this is only a small section of our forces. All these students' family are on their way here, and we've even called students from other schools!"

"W-why would-?" asked Ryoma, seeming even more surprised than me.

This time, Kaido spoke up. "Because no one hurts our hime-sama and gets away with it!"

* * *

SkyGem: Oooh, things are starting to heat up! What do you think will happen next? Please, do review and tell me what you thought and I'll try to update as soon as possible!


	9. Bloodshed

**Ryoma**

By the time the enemy arrived, our numbers were pretty near two thousand, and still more coming in.

Immediately, though, I could see that we were outnumbered. In the sky alone, their numbers were about two thirds of hours, and there were even more on the ground. It was ironic, though. The first time that so many humans and sky people were working together, and it was to overthrow the royal family.

Unsheathing my dual swords, which the younger Atobe had brought on his trip from the palace, I fell into a half crouch in preparation for the charge. To my right was my cousin Kunimitsu and immediately behind him was the older Atobe who went by the name Keigo, Tomoka, and Sakuno. To my left was my childhood friend Syuusuke and behind him were his younger brother Yuuta, and two other childhood friends who had come from Hyotei and went by the names of Akutagawa Jirou and Oshitari Yushi. Behind them, were the rest of the students and their friends and family. Everyone had been fitted with weapons gathered from the homes of the families participating.

I had had to argue for a long time for my cousin to let me lead the charge, but I had eventually gotten my way.

When the other side saw us, they faltered for a moment and I decided to take advantage of that opportunity. Screaming a vicious war cry, I charged forward and everyone on my side fell in behind me.

As the two sides clashed, I danced from opponent to opponent, slashing them all down in minutes. Growing up, I had learned kenjutsu from the best swordsmen alive, both sky walkers and humans.

After my tenth opponent, when nobody else challenged me, I took to the air to survey the situation. The area around the school had turned into a bloody battlefield and I could see the human students of Seigaku hiding inside.

Immediately, I knew the situation was bad. The enemy were gaining ground and our side were forced closer and closer towards the school.

At that moment, I felt a slight change in the air pressure around me and turned on the person that had tried to sneak up on me. Bringing my leg up, I tried to land a kick on him, but he caught me and threw me to the ground.

Surprisingly enough, I landed softly, not at all hurt, and my attacker said in a familiar voice, "You've grown stronger, your Highness."

My eyes widened and I gasped out, "Gen-chan!"

The one who had attacked me was Sanada Genichirou, the son of one of my father's most trusted advisers.

Leaning in close while pretending to attack me, he said, "Fear not, your highness."

I immediately leaped up and as the two of us fought a mock battle, he explained to me his strategy.

More than half the sky people in the opposing army were in fact undercover agents. They had discovered the plot to overthrow the royal family not long before the attack, and so had sent spies to join their ranks. What nobody had expected, though, was that their aim wasn't the king and queen, but me, the crown princess.

When they had failed to prevent the army from coming here, they had formed a quick strategy wherein I and the people supporting me would continue to fight the opposing side while the undercover agents would slowly pull back.

After they had formed a ring around the battle, slowly, they would commence, attacking the enemy from behind.

Finishing the explanation, Gen-chan shot me one last worried look, then turned and left. Looking around, I could see that a lot of the people on my side did in fact look as if they were holding back their power, while their opponents were too caught up in the fight to realize it.

Finally, about ten minutes after Gen-chan had told me the plan, I heard the tell-tale cries of surprise going up from the other army.

Some of the less concentrated fighters turned back to look and we began our counterattack.

Being pressed from both inside and out, the other side quickly began to lose their ground. Within minutes, we had all but won, and the approximately hundred or two of the opposing side that were still standing surrendered.

As ropes seemingly appeared from nowhere, the people on our side that were the least wounded began tying them up. About an hour later, the sky people on the opposing side were being transported to our capital city to face a trial, and the humans (who were much larger in numbers) had all been arrested and been sent to various prisons in the surrounding area to await their trial.

As doctors and ambulances arrived on scene to treat the injured, I swept through the crowd, taking in the damage. In the end, it was determined that the number of lives lost on both sides totalled 64. The number was pretty low for a battle of this magnitude, but I was nowhere near pleased.

Of the 64 that had died, 21 were sky people and the loss was like a blow to me. I had tried to steel myself, I knew that this would happen, but I couldn't take it.

I hadn't known any of the 21 personally, but that didn't make the loss any less bearable. I sank to the ground, cradling my head with sobs racking through my body.

"Your highness…" came a soft voice. Looking up, I saw a small group of people standing in front of me. Judging from their tear stained faces, I assumed they were the family of some of the dead.

I braced myself for them to tell me how much they hated me. Instead, they looked at me sympathetically and one of them said, "It's not your Highness's fault."

I shook my head, still crying. "It is. It's all my fault! Why? Why don't you guys hate me?"

"They volunteered to fight because they loved you, just like we did. They definitely hold no resentment towards you," said another girl. "Besides, you fought just as valiantly as any of them, probably even more. I'm sure they were proud to have fought alongside you."

I kept shaking my head and crying. Even though they had forgiven me, I couldn't forgive myself.

Suddenly, I felt strong arms wrap around me and looked up to see that I was surrounded by my friends and family.

It was Syuusuke who was holding me and his eyes were open for once, but he wore a gentle expression.

"They're at peace now," he said and that calmed me somewhat.

I lay my head against his chest and was tired enough to fall into a deep sleep.

* * *

SkyGem: So, what did y'all think of this chapter? Leave a review and tell me what ya thought, ne? And until next time, farewell!


	10. Rebuilding

**Ryoma**

"Itai!" I heard a familiar voice say and my eyes fluttered open.

Propping myself up on my elbows, I realized that I was in my own bedroom in Kuu-nii's home, along with eight others.

Kuu-chan frowned slightly when he saw I had woken up.

"Eiji! I told you to keep quiet! You've woken Ryoma up!"

"Gomen, ochibi-chan! But it hurts so much!" he wailed and I noticed that he, and all the others, were heavily bandaged.

"Daijobu?" I asked, worried.

Eiji just smiled goofily and said, "Nandemonai!"

Kuu-chan just sighed and said, "These idiots thought it would be fun to jump into the battle completely unarmed."

"Nani!" I shouted. "Why the hell would you guys do something so crazy?"

"Because we wanted to help ochibi-chan!" shouted Eiji, throwing his arms around me.

"Baka!" I shouted and Eiji fell to the floor, seeming surprised. "Do you have any idea how dangerous that was? You guys could have died!"

"But Fujiko and buchou were allowed to fight!" argued Momo.

"That's because they are both sky people! And they grew up learning to fight! You guys are just normal humans!"

Suddenly, Inui spoke up. "That may be true for them, but I'm one of you."

My eyes widened and I looked at him in shock. "Nani?" I asked.

Inui just got up and came to kneel before me.

Taking my hand in his, he planted a kiss on it, an overly formal gesture used usually only in court.

"I apologize for my cowardice earlier in the face of adversity, your highness. I realize that this does not excuse what I have done, but please, princess, I beg for your forgiveness."

I reeled back a little from the shock. "Y-you don't have to do that, Inui-sempai," I say. Then, looking over at the others, I asked, "Any more of you?"

They all shook their heads and Momo said, "But that was no reason for our not having interfered earlier and we're really sorry, Ryoma-chan. Will you accept our apologies?"

I shook my head in exasperation. "Really, what will I do with you guys?"

"Does that mean we're forgiven?" asks Momo quietly and I nodd.

He and Eiji envelop me in another glomp attack and I struggle for breath.

"L-let go!" I shout but of course, no one listens to me.

* * *

**Ryoga**

I was helping in rebuilding the castle when I heard a voice say, "Your Highness!"

Turning around, I saw a message boy run up to me.

Bowing deeply, he says, "I've got news from her Highness in the land of the landwalkers."

Hearing this, I let out a deep breath, feeling relieved. If she was well enough to send a message, then she mustn't be that injured.

"What does she say?" I prompt him and he smiles.

"Her highness says that they've survived an attack on her school and that the people responsible for the attack have been detained. The humans are to be dealt with by their own government but those of our kind that participated in the attack are being sent here for trial."

I nod. I had heard about the attack on my sister's school and had been very worried about how it had turned out. "Anything else?" I ask and the messenger boy's smile widens marginally.

"Her highness has also asked to inform you that she has gotten in contact with other tribes of our people and they are sending people to help rebuild the city," says the boy but his smile doesn't disappear.

"And?" I say, knowing there's more.

Now his grin stretches from ear to ear and he says, "The princess also says that she, and some of her friends, would be visiting the castle some time soon."

My breath catches in my throat. My little sister would be coming home?

"When?" I ask.

"In about two weeks," the boy answers obediently.

"What about Syuusuke?"

"Reunited and regained his memories."

I can hardly think straight anymore.

"Your highness?" asks the boy, sounding worried.

I shake my head absently. "All's well," I say. Then, snapping out of it, I turn back to the other workers, who were staring on curiously, and shouted, "Hurry up everyone! Get back to work! Everything has to be perfect in two weeks time! My imouto is returning to us!"

A great cheer arises from the workers and I can already sense the change in the atmosphere.

Ryoma was much loved among her subjects and each and every person here would give their lives to be of assistance to her.

* * *

**Ryoma**

"Where are they?" I say impatiently, looking down at my watch.

Momo and the others were supposed to be here ten minutes ago and I was starting to get really impatient.

I was excited to be going back home, but I knew I couldn't leave them behind.

"Ah, I see them!" said Syuusuke from beside me and I look at where he's pointing.

Sure enough, I see Momo, Kaido, Taka, and Inui rushing towards us.

"Hey guys! Sorry for being late!" shouted Momo.

"Whatever," I reply. "Just hurry up and let's going! We're already ten minutes late!"

Even though I hadn't been gone that long, I was so excited to be returning to the castle. I had been getting a little homesick lately…

* * *

SkyGem: *sigh* Another short chapter. I'm sorry guys, but I'm really pressed for time lately so I can't write as much as I would like to. Please forgive me!...Anyways, please do review and tell me what you thought of this chapter, ne?


	11. What's a Litter?

**Ryoma**

"Ryoma, wake up," said a gentle voice.

As my eyes fluttered open, I looked up to see Syuusuke leaning over me.

Smiling, he said, "We've arrived at the mountains, it's time to get out."

Nodding, I sat up and looked out the window of the taxi we were in. The first thing I saw was the wide open sky and the craggy mountains in the distance, some sprinkled lightly with snow.

My heart leapt, and I quickly scrambled out of the taxi.

Laughing, I joined the others who were already out and waiting for me.

"Let's go, let's go!" I shouted, cheerfully leading them towards the trail we would be taking.

Back when I was still a toddler, there never used to be a trail or anything of the like connecting our capitol to the outside world, and only sky people could find their way. A few weeks before my 6th birthday, though, they had decided to make a trail, as a symbol of our new alliance with the country of Japan.

Even now, it wasn't out of the ordinary to see some landwalkers in our cities, though it was quite rare. Nobody had taken humans into account when building our cities, so it was a bit hard to get around for those without wings.

"Princess," said someone, snapping me out of my thoughts.

Turning around, I saw that it had been Kunimitsu. "Yeah?" I asked.

Smiling, he replied with, "I believe it would be best for Your Highnesses health to take to the sky and stretch your wings out."

"My, what are you saying, Kunimitsu-san? I would never be so horribly rude as to leave my guests alone. It simply isn't done," I said, lapsing unconsciously back into my formal way of speaking.

"Your words do hurt me so, my princess. Do you consider us mere than guests?"

I couldn't help but laugh. "God, I hate that way of talking. Thanks, Kuu-chan. I've been dying for a flight."

Without another word, I threw my jacket off and jumped into the air, unfolding my wings and soaring high into the sky.

* * *

**Eiji**

I watched in fascination as Ryoma threw her jacket off to reveal a type of white halter-top that revealed her back, which was probably a smart idea, as the next moment, her wings shot out and lifted her into the sky.

My eyes were riveted on her as she flew patterns in the air.

"So pretty," I said quietly, and I heard small sounds of agreement from the other humans present.

"Is this your first time seeing one of us fly?" asked buchou.

"Hai," we all replied at once, still staring.

"Well, then you don't know how lucky you are. Ryoma is one of the best flyers in our city.

"I can believe that," said Momo and I could tell he was just as captivated as I was.

Then, suddenly, Ryoma fell into a nosedive headed straight for us and I started to get worried. "Is she going to be okay?"

"Oh, she's fine," said Fuji. "Like buchou said, she's an awesome flyer. Something like this is nothing for her."

Despite his reassurances, I still felt anxious as I watched her speed increase and she got closer and closer to the ground.

A few feet from the ground, though, she pulled up a little and landed lightly on her feet.

I let out a deep breath, seeing that she was fine and was about to comment when she turned to us with a huge smile on her face.

"You guys will never guess what I saw!" she said excitedly.

"What is it?" asked Taka curiously.

"The litter! They're bringing the litter!"

The first thing that came into mind was a pile of garbage.

As if reading my mind, Oishi said, "No, Eiji, it's not what you're thinking."

"The litter?" Fuji asked Ryoma and she nodded.

"Yup. Onii-chan sent them! They'll be here any second!"

I was about to ask what a litter was when the five skydancers among us turned their heads left and the rest of us followed.

Seconds later, a team of about twelve, hugely muscled skydancers came into view carrying something that looked like a canopied bed with poles sticking out from the front and back. It looked about big enough to carry 6 people.

Ryoma waved them over and when they landed, they performed an odd kind of half bow, not letting go of what they were carrying.

"A pleasure to see you again, your highness," they all said in unison.

"And you," replied Ryoma, not sounding like herself anymore. "I thank you for coming to welcome my friends and I."

"Our pleasure," they replied again as a unit.

Turning to us, she smiled. "Humans, onto the litter. The rest of you, sorry, but you have to fly."

* * *

**Ryoga**

A little before dinner, I was taking a nap (in a tree in our backyard) when I was woken up by a voice calling, "Your highness!"

Looking down, I saw that it was one of the castle guards.

"Hai?" I asked lazily.

"I deeply apologize for interrupting your sleep, but you requested I inform you when your royal sister had arrived. I have just received information that they have reached the city gates."

Hopping off the branch, I said a quick, "Thanks," then flew off to find my sister.

I almost bumped into a lot of people as I rushed to meet up with my sister, but I eventually caught up with them close to the entrance of the city.

When I first caught sight of my little sister's pure white wings and long, flowing black hair, I shouted, "Chibisuke!"

Snapping her head around to look at me, she smiled brightly and waved hello.

I slowed down a little, but didn't stop completely, instead enveloping her in a bear hug.

"I missed you!" I shouted.

Giggling and sounding a little out of breath, she said, "I missed you too, onii-sama."

When I finally pulled away, I looked over at the people she had brought with her.

"Kunimitsu! Long time no see," I said, clapping him on the back. "How have you been doing?"

"Pretty good, Ryoga-kun. And you?"

"I've been doing great! Especially now, since you guys are here!" Then, I turned to Syuusuke, who was standing beside him. "Syuusuke! It's been a while. How you doing? Got all your memories back?"

"Hello again, Ryoga-kun. I'm doing good, and yeah, everything's fine. It's really good to be back."

"I can bet," I said sympathetically. "Eh? Where's Yuuta? And everyone else?"

"Ah, they'll be coming later. Closer to the date of the party."

"Ah, I see. Well, come on, guys, let's not stay out here longer than necessary! We'll catch up more once we get to the palace."

I led them through the suddenly crowded streets to the palace and when it came into view, everyone who hadn't seen it before let out a collective gasp.

"We'll be staying **there**?"

* * *

SkyGem: What did you all think of the chapter? Please do review, ne? And I'll try to update asap. SkyGem out~


	12. Kiss

**Kaido**

I couldn't help but gape at the splendour of the palace into which I had just walked. I had never been to the capitol before, let alone the palace in which the royal family lived, so I hadn't quite known what to expect.

The moment we all walked through the gigantic entrance, the first thing to catch my eye was the couple waiting for us in the middle of the lavish foyer.

The taller of the two, the male, had a wise face and astonishing amber eyes, which I could see Ryoma and her older brother had inherited. He wore his emerald-green hair in a loose pony-tail that reached the middle of his back and a simple band of gold was wound around the crown of his head. Beside him stood his wife who was about a head shorter than him with kind brown eyes and matching brown hair that was even longer than her husband's and hung down her back in a neat braid. On her head was a circlet similar to that of her husband's.

Bowing deeply, Ryoma said, "Tadaima, okaa-san, otou-san."

The rest of us all followed suit, saying, "O-sewa ni narimasu*!"

The king, Nanjiro-sama, merely smiled and said, "Okaerinasai, dear," while his wife walked forward and enveloped her daughter in a gentle hug.

"Okaerinasai, dear," she repeated after letting go. Then, turning to us, she said, "Welcome to our home, dear guests. I hope you enjoy your stay here. We have already got rooms and garments ready for you all, and if you need anything at all, please do not hesitate to ask."

With that, both she and her husband inclined their heads slightly in acknowledgement, then turned and disappeared through a large set of ornately carved double doors.

When they were gone, Ryoma turned to us and said, "Sorry they had to leave so early. What with the rebuilding having just finished and now the preparations for the party in a week's time, they're incredibly busy. So, why don't you guys get settled in your rooms so you can freshen up a little before dinner? Afterwards we can have a tour of the palace, and tomorrow I can show you the town!"

Before any of us could respond, she clapped her hands once, and three young women seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

Turning to the three of them, "Annalise, please show Oishi Shuichiro-san and Kikumaru Eiji-san to one of the guests rooms, for humans of course. Dianne, same with Momoshiro Takeshi-san and Kawamura Takashi-san, please. Sonia, please show Inui Sadaharu-san and Kaido Kaoru-san to guest rooms for our own kind. "

Performing a curtsy, the three of them said in unison, "Right away, your majesty."

Then, turning to us, Ryoma said, "I'm really sorry, but it seems like you'll all have to share rooms. On any other day, you would have your own, but due to the upcoming party, many family members from around the globe will be coming to stay with us over the next few weeks, so we don't have all that many rooms available."

"No problem, Ryoma-chan," said Momo, throwing his arm around her shoulder in a familiar way. "We totally understand. Anyways, what about buchou's and Fuji-sempai's rooms?"

"Well, Kunimitsu can stay in the same room he always does, and if it's not too much trouble, Syuusuke can room with him?" she asked, making the last bit a question.

"I don't mind," said her cousin with a rare smile on his face.

"It'll be cool rooming with Kunimitsu again," replied the other sempai, with a similar smile on his face.

"Great!" said Ryoma, bringing her hands together, beaming happily. "Anyways, sorry for leaving you guys like this, but I'm off to change into something more comfortable!" And with that, she spread her wings out, and took off, heading in a direction opposite to ours.

* * *

**Ryoma**

After finally arriving at my much missed bedroom, I immediately stripped off the landwalker clothes I had been wearing (which were heavy and uncomfortable in my current form). In their place, I threw on a dress quite similar to what the humans called a sun dress. It was bright yellow and had a halter-top, which cleverly left the back uncovered. It was made of very fine, sturdy cloth similar to silk, and was lighter than anything the humans could make. Immediately, I also threw on a pair of white leggings (with all the flying I did, it kept people from seeing my undergarments) and opted to go barefoot. Then, going over to a pedestal that had been embedded into the wall, I picked up the simple band of gold that was set upon it and placed it on my head, relishing the feeling.

I usually didn't like to brag about my position, and actually preferred it when people didn't know _who_ I was, but it felt odd when I didn't have my crown on. No, I didn't see it as a sign of my power, but merely as a headdress to which I had grown accustomed after wearing for oh so long. My outfit just didn't feel complete without it.

Sighing in contentment, I danced over to the double doors that led out onto my balcony, though it was more like another room. It had two walls and a roof, and was carpeted, and had chairs and fluffy cushions scattered all over. The only reason it could really be called a balcony was the delicate looking parapet that had replaced the furthest wall, with a screen which could be pulled closed over the opening above it.

Ignoring the chairs and cushions, I crossed the space (which was about five or six meters wide), I slid open the screen to let the fresh mountain air into the now stuffy "balcony" which had once had a light, airy feeling to it.

Leaning against the ledge, I looked out over my beloved hometown, which sprawled freely below. To some, the layout of the town may look haphazard and maze-like, but to those who had grown up in it, such as myself, each and every road was memorized like the back of one's hand.

Looking beyond the houses, my eyes danced at the sight of the currently flowering meadows I had played in as a child, which were also sprinkled here and there between the houses. And beyond the meadows themselves were the craggy mountains; dangerous to some, but perfectly welcoming to me.  
They were tall and majestic, and I felt as if I had never seen anything so beautiful. I had never realized how much I had missed waking up to this view every morning.

Suddenly, I was snapped out of my reverie by the soft flapping of wings, and when I looked to the source, I almost fell back in shock.

By the time I had regained my composure; my visitor had landed on the ledge and was grinning widely at me. "Why so surprised, _princess_," he asked, saying the last word a little teasingly. "I used to visit you like this quite often, or don't you remember?" he asked, raising an eyebrow in question.

Blushing as I realized that I had overreacted, I stood up and dusted imaginary dirt off my dress (the floor was as immaculately clean as everywhere else in the palace). "Shouldn't you be in your room, Syuusuke?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

Pouting a little, he said, "What don't you want me here?"

"That's not what I meant-" he cut me off by letting out a gentle laugh.

"I know, Ryoma-chan. I was just teasing you," he said, jumping down to the floor and walking towards me.

When he stopped, we were just centimetres apart as we stood in silence, staring into each other's eyes and not saying anything.

"We never really got a chance to talk about…" here he paused, not quite knowing what word to use. Finally, he settled on, "…everything."

I stared at him with wide eyes, not saying anything. When I had first realized that Syuusuke had regained his memories, my feelings had had to be set aside, as a result of the pending attack. In the two weeks following the attack, we had been so busy helping rebuild the school, the two of us had never found time to be alone, so I'd never had a chance to really talk to my long-lost childhood friend.

"Ryoma…I've missed you so much," he said in a quiet voice.

And suddenly, I couldn't take it anymore. Throwing my arms around him, I cried my heart out; letting out all those years of pent-up frustration and loneliness.

"I've missed you so much!" I sobbed into his chest.

He wrapped his arms protectively around me, not saying a word.

When my sobs were finally reduced to soft hiccups, he tilted my chin upwards so that our eyes met, and he smiled. "I've missed you too, Ryoma-chan."

I couldn't help but blush at his closeness. We'd hugged before, when we were small, but this was like a totally different feeling.

Seeming to notice my blush, he smiled and asked, "Ne Ryoma-chan?"

"H-hai?" I asked.

"Do you still plan on keeping that promise to one day become my bride?" he asked, a mischievous smile playing on his lips.

It took everything I had to force my lips to form the one word I so desperately wanted to say. "Hai," I replied.

His smile grew wider, and he bent down and touched his lips to mine in a gentle kiss.

* * *

SkyGem: Phew! That chapter is finally done! Sheesh, these past few days, I've had the most terrible writers block. Thank god that's gone. Anyways, I hope you liked this chapter, and please do leave a review, ne?

*O-sewa ni narimsau – I will be under your honourable care from now…or so I understand. I've gotten quite a few different translations, but they all generally mean the same thing. If I got it wrong, don't hesitate to correct me, ne?

Now normally, I don't have a glossary for all the Japanese phrases I include in my fics for two reasons 1) it would be way too long and 2) you guys (hopefully) know most of them, or can infer their meaning from the rest of the sentence. I only included this phrase 'cause I doubt many of you would know it…basically, it's pretty much the same as ojamashimasu, except it's used when you first enter a household (besides your own) that you will be living at for any amount of time, be it one night, or 5 years.


	13. Courtship Flight

**Momo**

After we arrived at Ryoma-chan's home, the one week until the party passed by in a wink, and before any of us knew it, it was the night of the party.

Over the past week, we'd spent most of our time exploring the town, and during that time, I realized just how precious Ryoma was to her people. The kids flocked to her, fighting for her attention; the adults immediately dropped what they were doing to come speak to her, even if it was just a greeting; even the animals seemed to be drawn to her.

Now, as I stood out on the balcony of my suite (it included three bedrooms and bathrooms), looking at the stream of people coming in, I was once again surprised. Even the town was brightly lit and there were people celebrating already. There were even those who had travelled from halfway across the world just to camp out in the expansive meadows spread all around. I remembered Ryoma telling us that this wasn't at all out of the ordinary. People always raised tents in the meadows during celebrations, and some of the townspeople even sometimes decided to pack some bags and spend a few days out camping because they so enjoyed the event.

Suddenly, there was a polite knock at the door, and I heard Taka get up from where he was sitting, completely engrossed in a book about the sky peoples' culture.

Going up to the door, he opened it, and there stood Dianne-san, who had first shown us to our room last week.

Bowing politely, she said, "I have brought the clothes you are to wear tonight; gifts courtesy of her majesty, princess Ryoma."

When I saw the clothes she was holding, I was surprised. They looked a bit like tuxedos (both white with black dress shirts and white ties), but they seemed to be made of a different kind of material, and when I had put mine on, it seemed very . . . light.

When I came out of my room to have Dianne help me with my tie, I asked her, "What are these clothes made of?"

She smiled knowingly. "There is no word for it in the Japanese language, but I guess the closest thing you could compare it to is silk, except that it's much sturdier, and during the winter, very warm.

"I see. . ." I said slowly.

Her smile widened. "A lot of landwalkers are surprised when they first try on clothes made by our tailors, they marvel at how light it is. For us, it is vital for the clothes we wear to be light and easy to move around in, otherwise it could interfere with our flight, which could be lethal; especially during a courtship flight." I would have asked her what a courtship flight was, but before I could, she curtsied and said, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I really must get going. I'm meeting up with some friends for the celebration."

"Of course," said Taka as he came out of his bedroom, dressed in his tuxedo. "Thank you so much for everything, Dianne-san."

"My pleasure," she said. Curtsying once more, she then turned and rushed off to who knows where.

As I walked downstairs with Taka, I asked him, "Do you know what a courtship flight is?"

He looked at me curiously for a moment, then said, "It's kind of like a proposal. Generally, what happens is, during a time where the couple are both in the air, the male will suddenly fly back about five feet and bow once. I'm not entirely sure what it is, but apparently there's something about the way their wings are positioned, or the way they hold themselves, but the female will be able to tell right away what his intentions are. Generally, this takes place with at least both of the immediate families as audience, so that if either of the parents objects, they can interfere. If no one objects, then it is up to the female to choose whether or not she wants the male to court her. If she does, she'll fall into a headlong dive similar to the one we saw Ryoma-chan do on our way here. After that . . . I'm not entirely sure what they do. It's some kind of intricate flight pattern. Afterwards, they'll officially be engaged."

"Wow," I said, not knowing how to respond.

Taka-sempai nodded. "I'd love it if we got to see one while we're here, but I'm not sure what the chances of that are."

I nodded thoughtfully at that, not responding.

I was still wrapped in my thoughts by the time we arrived downstairs, but my attention was soon snatched away. The whole first floor of the palace was decorated for the event, but I was surprised to find it wasn't as crowded as I thought it would be.

"Ah! Look! Look! Oishi! I found them!" Eiji's voice carried over to us and I looked over to see him and Oishi coming over to us. Eiji was wearing a wine read tux that was made of the same material as ours; his dress shirt was white, and his tie the same colour as the tux. Meanwhile, Oishi was wearing a white tux and tie similar to mine, but his dress shirt was the colour of dark fir, making his green eyes stand out.

"Hey sempai-tachi," I said with a smile, walking over to them. We'd only been talking for a few minutes before Mamushi and Inui-sempai came over too.

When I saw them, I was shocked, to say the least. They both looked completely different.

Mamushi was, for once, not wearing his bandanna, and his hair was a good deal longer than when he was in his human form; reaching all the way down to his waist, it was bound in a loose ponytail that I was starting to get used to. He was also more . . . petite. He was wearing a tux similar to mine, and his wings were folded neatly behind him.

With Inui-sempai, it was pretty much the same, only his hair was just a bit shorter than Mamushi's.

Even though I hated to admit it (about Kaido anyway), they both had a kind of ethereal beauty about them.

"Hey, do you guys know why there are so little people in here?" I asked curiously. "I'm pretty sure I saw more than this filing in."

"Fssssshu, don't you know anything, Momoshiri?" asked Kaido bad-temperedly. No matter how much his appearance had changed, it looked as if his attitude was still the same as ever.

"Now, now, Kaoru," said Inui-sempai patiently, and I was surprised to hear him use my rival's first name. Since when were they that close? "No need to be so bad tempered." Then, turning to us, he explained, "Even though the party is technically being held at the palace, the guests really only come here for a light snack and to meet up with whoever they're spending the night with. The real celebration is held in the town."

"Really," I said. "That's cool."

Inui-sempai smiled. "I assure you, you'll absolutely love this party tonight. I used to attend them all the time when I was younger. For our kind, the kids look forward to these parties almost more than their own birthdays."

And with that, the night went on. After another five or ten minutes in the palace, we all headed out into the town.

We spent the night going around to the different stores that were open, selling various items, and we entered some competitions.

Although we had lots of fun, the most memorable part of the night was, by far, when suddenly, a hush fell over the crowd, and all the noise of laughter and merrymaking died away.

I looked around, wondering why everyone had stopped, but everyone's faces were turned upwards.

Following their gazes, I looked up, and my breath caught as I caught sight of two figures up in the air about five feet apart.

"Inui-sempai, what are they-?"

"The courtship flight," he breathed out almost silently and my eyes widened as I turned back to see that one of them, the female I assumed, had fallen into a headlong dive, just like Taka had explained earlier; she had accepted.

It wasn't until she was about 20 feet from the ground that I recognised who she was.

It was Ryoma!

* * *

SkyGem: So, what did you all think? Good chapter? Oh, and I'm pretty sure you can all guess who the male is, ne? Hehe, anyways, please don't forget to leave a review and tell me what you thought, ne?


	14. Never Leaving My Side

**Tezuka**

I watched in silent fascination as Ryoma and Syuusuke performed their courtship flight. I had been incredibly surprised when I had first realized that it was the two of them up there, and yet, I had kind of expected it.

As the flight neared its end, the two of them joined hands as they floated gently to the ground to be swarmed by the well-wishers who wanted to congratulate them and welcome their new prince.

It took a good hour or so for the crowd to thin enough for me to get anywhere close, and when I did, I bumped into the others.

"Ah! Buchou!" shouted Momo as soon as he saw me. "We were wondering where you were!"

Going up to them, I smiled a little. "I was helping Nanjiro-jisan with something. Are you all going to congratulate Ryoma and Syuusuke too?"

"Hai!" said Eiji excitedly. Then, pulling on my arm, he said, "Now let's go! We've been trying to see ochibi-chan and Fujiko for a while now, I don't want this chance to slip away!"

Chuckling lightly, I followed quietly after him.

When Ryoma saw us, she smiled brightly, waving us over. "Hey guys!" she said enthusiastically.

"Congratulations," I told her, wrapping an arm around her and placing a quick kiss on her temple.

"We're so happy for you guys, nya!" shouted Eiji happily as he tightly glomped Ryoma. "Don't forget to invite us to the wedding, okay?"

Ryoma chuckled at this, but beside her, Syuusuke seemed to be emitting a very dark aura, even though his expression was perfectly pleasant.

Momo seemed to notice this too, as he immeidately pulled Eiji away with a smile and a quick hug for Ryoma. "It was about time, you know, what with the two of you making googly eyes at each other this whole week."

Ryoma didn't seem too pleased about this remark, but Syuusuke's aura immediately disappeared, and I let out a sigh of relief.

Next in line was Kaido, who gave a polite bow and said, "Congratulations princess and sempai."

"We'll miss you back at school," said Inui sadly as he, too, bowed to Ryoma.

There was a moment of silence before all the humans shouted in unison, "EHH?"

"What do you mean, you'll miss Ryoma-chan, Inui?" asked Oishi, looking worried.

Taka, remembering something from one of the books he'd been reading earlier, said in a quiet voice, "Once the crown princess becomes engaged, both she and her fiancé must begin their studies under the current monarchs to properly learn their duties for when they inherit the throne."

It was then that a sombre mood settled on the group.

"W-well, we have another week together before you guys have to go back, at least. And we'll visit a lot too," Ryoma told them, trying to cheer them all up.

"But I don't wanna say goodbye to ochibi-chaaaaaan!" wailed Eiji, throwing his arms around Ryoma.

This time, Fuji didn't hesitate to interfere. Pulling the redhead's arms off his fiancée. "Saa, well you'll just have to deal with it," said the brunette with a pleasant smile on his face that was only skin-deep. Because now that I have Ryoma-chan back by my side, there's no way I'm letting her go ever again."

**~Owari~**

* * *

SkyGem: Yatta! Yet another fic is finished! It feels weird to be parting with this idea now, since it's one of the first fics I started writing. I can't believe it's gone on longer than Twin Samurai and Hidden Himesama, even though it's so much shorter XD. Anyways, thank you all so much for sticking with this fic for so long, and please do leave a review on your way out. *Bows respectfully* Sayonara minna-san.


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